Aion “open” beta keys available only via pre-order or paid Fileplanet subscription

UPDATE 9/8/2009: Aion open beta keys are now available to all North American Fileplanet users, including those with free accounts.

NCSoft’s misleadingly-titled “open beta” for Aion is not open at all. It requires either a pre-order (which costs money), a Fileplanet subscription (which costs money), or a closed beta key (and if you already have a closed beta key, this article isn’t relevant to your interests).

I discovered this only after downloading the 9+GB (gigabyte) “open” beta client via BitTorrent and installing the client on my computer. Learn from my mistake: Do not download the Aion open beta unless you already have an open beta key. Avoid wasting bandwidth on NCSoft’s false advertisement/bait and switch, skip this beta, and wait for a trial. Better yet, play an online role-playing game by a company with scruples.

Reading about hypoglycemia

I’ve suspected for a while now that I have hypoglycemia, a condition where the body has trouble regulating the amount of sugar in the blood. I’ve experienced most of the symptoms for as long as I can remember, but I just thought my body was just being troublesome. I won’t bore you with a lengthy explanation of how frustrating a condition like hypoglycemia can be; a quick perusal of the symptoms should give you a rough idea.

My wife and I already eat fairly healthy. We limit our intake of fatty foods, sweets, caffeine, and alcohol. We choose whole wheat breads whenever we have the option. We avoid fried foods. We try to work vegetables and fruits into our diet. We eat red meat only on rare occasions.

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Customize your DS Lite or DSi with a cell phone charm or phone strap

While reading about Capcom’s upcoming Amaterasu phone strap, it struck me that most DS Lite and DSi owners in the US and Europe are probably unaware that the two small holes in the back of the DS near the cartridge slot can be used to attach cell phone charms or phone straps.

Here’s a photo of the back of an Onyx DS Lite with the two holes used for attaching cell phone charms and phone straps circled in red:

Here’s a photo of my an Onyx DS Lite with maneki neko (fortune cat) cell phone charm attached:

Very few brick and mortar stores in America sell cell phone charms or phone straps. I recommend the following stores for purchasing cell phone accessories online:

Strapya World specializes in cell phone accessories and has an extensive selection of cell phone charms and phone straps, including items based on popular anime and video game franchises like Hello Kitty, Final Fantasy, Death Note, My Neighbor Totoro, Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Sgt. Keroro.

Here are five example cell phone straps from Play-Asia:

  1. Gurren Lagann Mini Gurren Team Strap Figure: Simon with drill
  2. Gurren Lagann Mini Gurren Team Strap Figure: Simon on Gurren
  3. Gurren Lagann Mini Gurren Team Strap Figure: Little Gurren Brigade
  4. Gurren Lagann Mini Gurren Team Strap Figure: Kamina
  5. Gurren Lagann Mini Gurren Team Strap Figure: Yoko

For instructions on attaching a cell phone charm or strap to your DS Lite or DSi, click past the break.

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Video: Okami (Wii) invulnerable enemy glitch

I encountered the following glitch while playing Okami earlier today:

I just defeated 99 enemies during the 10 rounds of the Ryoshima Coast Devil Gate and now the final Black Imp will not take any damage or attack me.

I have used several different types of attacks, including different equipment, Celestial Brush attacks, and damage scrolls. Nothing inflicts any damage on the enemy.

This is a pretty serious and annoying glitch as I just spent the last 15-20 minutes fighting enemies with the purpose of clearing this Devil Gate Trial. What’s even more frustrating is that I didn’t save immediately before the Trial. (I couldn’t imagine encountering a glitch like this.)

Source: Ryoshima Coast Devil Gate Trial glitch: Final Black Imp invulnerable in round 10

Click past the break for video footage of the glitch.

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Rhythm Heaven $12.98 at Amazon until 4 p.m. Central today

I don’t usually post about game sales on Brainstorm Warning, but I’ve had a special fondness for Rhythm Heaven (known as Rhythm Tengoku Gold in Japan) ever since playing the Japanese version back in 2008. One of Amazon’s Gold Box Deals for today (Monday, July 27) is 56% off Rhythm Heaven, bringing the price down to $12.98 USD.

If you’re interested in purchasing the game, hurry and click here! The sale ends in two hours (at 4 p.m. Central) and 55% of the discounts are already claimed at this time.

I don’t have any gameplay footage of Rhythm Heaven on hand (and I’d rather post this quickly than take the time to record and upload a video since the sale ends in two hours), so click past the break for commercials for the Japanese version of the game (same gameplay, different language).

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Video: Thunder Force VI intro and Jungle Stage

I had the opportunity to play Thunder Force VI a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised by the game’s smooth controls and design. The game’s graphics are impressive for a Playstation 2 title and the weapons system allows for varied gameplay. Today, on my third playthrough of the game, I recorded footage of the introduction video and Jungle Stage to share with Brainstorm Warning readers.

Thunder Force VI was only released in Japan, but the game’s menus are in English, making the title import-friendly. Thunder Force VI is immediately accessible to shmup (shoot-em-up) novices and experts alike and isn’t as ruthlessly difficult as many other recent shmup releases. For more information on Thunder Force VI, for customer reviews, and to purchase the game, click here.

Click past the break for the gameplay video.

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Video: Epic Pinball “Enigma” table

Before the advent of the Internet, there was the Excalibur BBS (bulletin board system). I discovered several boards based on Excalibur software after my family bought our first home computer. With our trusty dial-up modem squeaking and squawking along, I downloaded every shareware game that caught my eye.

One of my favorite titles from that era is Epic Pinball. These days, Epic Games is best known for the Unreal Engine and games like Unreal Tournament 3 and Gears of Wars 2. In the early 1990s, they built a reputation for developing excellent PC games like Jazz Jackrabbit, One Must Fall: 2097, and Epic Pinball.

Thanks to DOSBox, I can indulge in nostalgia and re-play my favorite PC games of the early 90s in Windows. After discovering earlier today that DOSBox allows users to record video of DOS games and applications, I recorded a video of the “Enigma” table from Epic Pinball.

Click past the break for the video.

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